Does Anyone hunt with a 6.5 mm ? (SE, Creedmoor, Grendel, Norma, ect.)

[teamcope]

I am trying to get my hands on the Savage Lightweight Hunter in 6.5 Creedmoor for my general purpose hunting rifle. I was given a 6.5x55 SE for a gift, but its an old rifle and I want something I can load hotter rounds in. I have never met anyone else who hunts with any of the 6.5mm rounds. Anyone on here use such a thing, and have any experiences to share?

260 rem mod 7 used 100gr speer
5 whitetails in Minnesota
3 mulies in Wyoming
6 mulies in South Dakota
Used this for three years shots were from 40 yards to 300
This package hit animals like the hammer of Thor

6.5-284 Douglas barrel on a savage 110 use 140 speer
same affect proven to 400 yards comfortable to 500 yards

6.5x55 tekia my favorite love this thing.

I want to be able to leave my nephews I hunt with a 6.5 of some kind

 

[Bigfoot]

Welcome to the forum Teamcope.

I assume you have to be very careful to put that Speer HP behind the shoulder? I know an Umpqua area guy in that uses that bullet at full speed, he likes to drop em right there too. That one and the 100 BT worry me tho, I'm not sure I can always be so picky about placement.

I shot mine for the first time today, Federal 120 gr BTs. It shot pretty sweet, love that two pound Accutrigger.

 

[Alaska Fred]

Hey, Porland, greetings from Alaska. I came across your post here asking about hunting with the 6.5 X 55 SE. You know the saying about "Give a Man a Fish, and it will feed him until he is taxed out of it; teach a man to fish, and the Gov will have a permanent source of revenue?" Okay, I mangled that, but my point is use your mind. Think. You will have to think for yourself on this because if you walk into many gun shops and ask that very question, you are going to get a lot of Hunting Voodoo on "our" (yours and mine) cartridge.

So to really get a feel for this Norse-Wisardry, look at the same bullet, say a HNRDY SST, and look at the affective lbs/pqi for the .308 wit, say, a 165g SST at 200, 400, 600, 800, and even at 1000 yards. Get a solid mathematical feel for that, then compare that to the 6.5 x 55 SE, and look at the MV at 2650 and 2700, which you can get. Then compare that with a .270 Win. What a lot of folk are shocked to find out is that the 6.5 x 55mm SE delivers more "punch" down range when compared to the .308, but not as much as say the .270 with a HNRDY 150 SST. In terms of puch, is you load up your .308 with, say, a 165g SST, or a .270 Win with a 150g SST, your modern barrelled Swede will fall almost right in the middle. With that old barrel, you might consider reloading for it, and check me on this, Hornady Data does not take into account of new actions and barrels, which Noster and others do.

So is the 6.5 X 55mm SE enough? Well, what happends to an Elk at 100 - 150 yards if you hit it in the Engine Room with a .50, or .54 Cal muzzle loader? What in the world to people think our Mountain Men used to hunt elk in the 1820's to 1850's? Thus I ask you, could you take an elk with a .308 or a .270 Win? Lot's of folk would say they are too small, but lot's of folk have hunted elk with a .50 cal round ball, too, coming out of a handmade muzzle loader, even a flintlock.

Weird thing about that 6.5. X 55mm SE. It has just shy of the bullistic speed and punch of a .243 WSSM, do the math, and it will leave at .308 with a HNDRY 165 SST in the dust after 400 yards. They figured this about back in the 1890's?

There is my two cents.

Quote, "Life is too short to shoot and hunt with an ugly gun."
--- Fred


I am trying to get my hands on the Savage Lightweight Hunter in 6.5 Creedmoor for my general purpose hunting rifle. I was given a 6.5x55 SE for a gift, but its an old rifle and I want something I can load hotter rounds in. I have never met anyone else who hunts with any of the 6.5mm rounds. Anyone on here use such a thing, and have any experiences to share

 

[jer fly]

I hunt with a 260 ack improved. It is by far the best bang for the buck I could come up with. I had an old Remington 700 re-barreled (benchmark) and added a new stock (Bell & Carlson) This rifle shoots 2 1/2'' groups at 600 yards all day long with 140 berger vld's going 2930 fps with 44 grains reloader 17. I've only taken one deer so far with this rifle, but it dropped in it's tracks. I could not be happier. I have plans to build another with surgeon action and kreiger barrel.... perfection...

 

[longrangekiller]

264 win mag...all the gun you will ever need

 

[DeanMk]

My 6.5 is a sporterized Mauser also, but it was produced in 1903. Its age makes me nervous to put anything in it other than softer loads. ( guess hotter means most factory loads in my case) I was originally thinking about finding another 6.5x55, but the popularization of the Creedmoor (especially in the savage lightweight hunter) is pushing me towards that route. I agree with both of you though, the 6.5x55 is a hammer! After owning one, I have always been surprised its not more prevalent.

Don't mean to skew the thread, but if it makes you feel any better, I wouldn't think twice about using Norma loads in my brother's '95 Chilean Mauser...and it was most likely built in 1896.
Good advice about having a quaity gun smith check it out.


Dean

 

[Silver Fox]

America's obsession with the .30 cal comes from ease of manufacturing and not because of ballistic superiority blah blah blah.....

The 6.5's have not had there just due in our great nation.

The Grendel is a great round in an AR package (got one myself) but it was the Russians who paid off Bill Alexander to release his grip on it. I have a feeling we, the world are going to see a new AK in 6.5 (Grendel)..... AK durability with 800 yard accurate knock down.

Just my early morning per-coffee thoughts.

SF-

 

[Trick]

I had the opportunity a couple summers ago to shoot the 6.5 creedmor in the Savage rifle. It was at a Nikon/Savage sponsored shoot for vendors (knew somebody) at a range near Mollala.

Anways we were shooting at targets out to 500 with this setup and it was a tack driving round/rifle combo. Loved the fluted bolt on the rifle.

I still to this day lust after the rifle in that caliber. Maybe 2013 will be the year I can ad it to the safe.

 

[rodell]

I really like the 6.5x55 Swede. I shoot a 140 grain Nosler Accubond at about 2650 fps. It is like the proverbial hammer. The European equivalent load is about 2850 fps, but I haven't felt the need to push it that fast.

 

[ibrook]

I actually hunt with a sporterized type 38 arisaka in a 6.5x257 it seems to do the trick. I have taken 3 deer with it in the gorge and none have gone more than 10 feet after they have been shot.

 

[Benihaus]

America's obsession with the .30 cal comes from ease of manufacturing and not because of ballistic superiority blah blah blah.....

The 6.5's have not had there just due in our great nation.

The Grendel is a great round in an AR package (got one myself) but it was the Russians who paid off Bill Alexander to release his grip on it. I have a feeling we, the world are going to see a new AK in 6.5 (Grendel)..... AK durability with 800 yard accurate knock down.


Just my early morning per-coffee thoughts.

SF-

what a cool package that would be!

 

[motoman98]

800 yd accuracy with the AK action?? In whose dreamworld?

 

[tahoe2]

It always cracks me up when somebody says they want more horsepower than the the old rounds that have been killing game animals just fine for over 100+ years!
6.5x55, 7x57, 7.65x53, 8x57, 9.3x62, all mausers; go figure. Those Europeans figured it out a long time ago, and we've been trying to improve it ever since.
I think Americans truly underestimate the killing power of simple rounds and always look for the next fastest whiz-banger to come along.
Don't get me wrong, If you like magnums? Go for it ! I just never saw the need. Until I hunt the big bears or moose or Africa,
I'm content with them old, not so exciting cartridges. That's what makes our country so great ! The 6.5 Creedmore comes in some great rifles, go for it!